Headlamp construction



June 15 1926.

c. E. GODLEY HEADLAMP CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Filed Occ. 5. 1925 f ver l-ar' Cqr/e; gar e/ June '15 1926.

- 1,589,143 C. E. GODLEY HEADLAMP CONSTRUCTION v Filed 001:. 5. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 G E. Goa/ Patented June 15, 126. p

CHARLES E. GODLEY, 0E DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 EDMUNDS & JONES COR- PORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HEADLAMP CON$TRUCTION.

Application filed. October 5, 1925. Serial Ito. 60,644.

My invention relates to lamps employing reflectors having separable front and rear sections, and in one of its general objects aims to provide a lamp construction which will permit the rear reflector section to be retained within the lamp casing while the forward reflector section is detached simultaneously with the door, and which will permit the use of a single piece body for the casing. It also aims to provide novel means for supporting the rear section of a two-part reflec- "tor and for insuring the normal alining of the reflector arts while permitting ready access to the interior of the reflector from the mouth end of the casing.

In employing ovoid reflectorsas for example. reflectors of the type disclosed in my copending application #745,301, filed Oct. 23, 1924 on an automobile headlight-it is highly desirable to have the reflector made in two arts disposed one behind the other and to ave the lamp front aline the forward end of the reflector with the lens. It is also important that access should be obtainable to the interier of the reflector for cleaning the reflector and the back of the lens, and for replacing the lamp bulb. With this in mind, my copending .ap lication #751,255 (filed Nov. 21, 1924 on a eadlight construction) disclosed a suitable lamp casing adapted to be made of castings and having the main part of the casing spllt longitudinally so as to afiord access to the reflector parts by a detaching of one of the casing parts.

My present invention rovides a much lighter construction in w ich the body of the casing can be made of a single piece of sheet metal and in which access is afiorded to the reflector parts by removing the door which carries the lens of the lamp. Moreover, my invention provides simple means for supporting the rear reflector section in operative position within the 'casing'and for forcing the. two reflector sections toward each other when the door is attached. Still further and also more detailed objects will dinal section through an automobile head lamp embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of the forward portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View of the parts shown in the upper right-hand corner of Figs. 1 and 2, with the lamp front or door tilted forwardly as it appears when attaching or detaching the door.

Fig. 4. is a transverse section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the illustrated embodiment, my lamp comprises a semi-ovoidal casing 1 open at its forward end and having this forward or month end stifiened by an angle-sectioned member which afi'ords an inwardly directed radial shelf 2. This shelf normall abuts against the radially extending annu ar portion 3 of the inner member of a lens-ring or door. This door also includes an outer member having a peripheral portion 4 and an annular frontal portion 5, the said part 5 having a bore smaller than the diameter of the lens 6 of the lamp and desirably having the portion adjacent to this bore turned rearwardly into engagement with the radially outer portion 7 of the lens. The inner-member of the door includes a tubular portion 8 connecting the rear part 2 with a rnofe forward and radially extending annular shelf 9, and this shelf carries a second and forwardly extending tubular portion 10 which laterally houses the lens.

The shelf 9 has a series of nuts 11 secured to it for receiving the'sha'nks of screws 12 which extend through an annular and radial flange 13 formedon theforward reflector section let near the forward end of the latter. Extending forwardly from this flange 13, the forward reflector section has a tubular portion 15 which desirably fits slidably into the tubular portion 10 of the door and which terminates at its forward end in an inwardly directed annular flange 16. Be} tween the flange 16 and the rim portion 7 of the lens I interpose a packing ring 17 there by enabling the lens to be operatively clam ed between the door front portion and the ange 16 of the reflector by a tightening of the screws 12 without cracking the lens.

'lo secure the door in position, I provide a book 18 secured to the inner door. member 3 and adapted to have its tip inserted behind the upper portion of the shelf 2 on the easing. Then I also secure angle brackets 19 and 20 to the lower portions of the casing and door respectively, so that these can be operativcly connected by a screw 21 to hold the door in its normal closure position as shown in Fig. 2. \Yhen the screw 21 is removed. the door can be tilted about the engagement of the hook with the shelf 2 untll an annular recessed portion 22 on the inner door member 3 clears a correspondingly formed tubular part 28 which is at the radially inner edge of the shelf 2 and which normally alines the door with the casing, after which the door can be drawn downward (as shown in Fig. 3) to release the said hook and permit an entire detaching of the door. lVhen thus detached, the door carries the forward reflector section with it, this section having its maximum diameter (wh ch here is that of a cylindrical rear end portion 24) smaller than the bore of the annular shelf 2.

F or the companion rear part of the reflector I provide a semi-ovoidal section l5 which desirably has at its forward end an outwardly directed radial flange 25 continued by a rearwardly directed tubular portion 26, which latter portion fits slidably into the bore of the cylindrical portion 24 on the forward reflector section. Secured to the casing 1 adjacent to the juncture of the two reflector sections is an annular thrust member 27 having a bore approximating the diameter of the adjacent part of the rear reflector section 45, so that the latter can readily be socketed in the said bore when inserted from the front of the thrust memher. Then I interpose a packing ring 28 between the radial flange 25 on the rear reflector section and an adjacent radial flange 29 on the forward reflector section, and interpose a plurality of springs 30 between the radial flange 25 and the thrust member 27. With the thrust member properly spaced from the forward end of the casing, the attaching of the door causes the forward reflector section to press the rear reflector section rearwardly through the intermediary of the packing ring 28, thereby compressing the springs 30 (which compensate for irregularities in the compressing of the packing ring), so as to hold the two reflector parts in rigid assembly and to permit the door to be drawn back snugly against the forward end of the casing. e

To focus the lamp bulb 31 with respect to the reflector, l desirably mount this bulb in a socket 32 yieldingly gripped by fingers 33 formed at the perforated end of the rear reflector section. Then I connect the socket by 'a yoke 34- and a bolt 35 to a. pair of clamping plates 36 and 37 slidably mounted on the rear end of the casing 1, as more fully disclosed in my application #59,03t3, filed September 28, 1925 on a focusing lamp.

For a lamp employing the optical principles of my aforesaid application #745,301, I also employ a color screen 38 mounted in the rear end of the forward reflector section.

Since the angle-sectioned ring (of which the annular shelf 2 forms a part) stiflens the month end of the lamp casing, While the thrust member 27 stifl'ens the casing intermediate of its len th, I can readily secure the rigidity needec in the lamp body while using a light grade of metal for the same. Consequently, my presented construction permits of making a relatively long casing with a single-piece exterior, such as that shown in Fig. 1. However, I do not wish to be limited to any particular shape of my lamp, nor to the particular reflector and lens arrangement of the pictured embodiment. Neither do I wish to be limited to the details of construction and arrangement here disclosed, since many changes might obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

ll claim as my invention:

1. In a lamp, a casing, a door detachably secured to the mouth end of the casing, a reflector comprising forward and rear sections having interfitting tubular end portions, each, of the said tubular end portions being connected to the main portion of the same reflector section by a radial flange, the forward reflector section being secured to the door, a glare filter disposed between the two radial flanges, thrust ring secured to the casing and surrounding the rear reflector section near the forward end of the latter, and spring means carried by the thrust ring and engaging the radial flange on the rear reflector section for pressing the latter forwardly so as to clam the glare filter between the two radial anges.

2. In a lamp, a semi-ovoid casing, a door detachably secured to the mouth thereof, a forwardly truncated ovoid reflector comprising two sections having interfitting end portions at the maximum diameter of the reflector, the forward section being secured to the door so as to be detachable from the casing with the latter, an annular thrustreceiving member fast within the casing adjacent to the forward end of the rear reflector section and having a forwardly flaring bore slightly larger than the adjacent portion of the rear reflector section and adapted to support the rear reflector section when the forward reflector section is re moved, and spring means operatively interposed between the casing and the rear reflector section for pressing the latter forward, the said spring means normally operating also for pressing the forward reflector section against the door.

3. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, an

messes annular thrust member fastened to the was ing and extending radially inward from the casing intermediate of the ends of the casing, a door movably mounted on the mouth of the casing, a rear reflector section extending through the bore of the thrust member, a forward reflector section disposed in front of and in alinement with the rear reflector section and abutting against the latter, the forward reflector section being secured to the door, and spring means interposed between the thrust member and the rear refiector section for pressing the latter forwardly.

4C. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, a reflector comprising two sections, disposed behind one another, means associated with the adjacent ends of the two reflector sections for alining the said parts, supporting means carried by the casing for supporting the rear reflector section, and a door mounted on the month end of the casing and secured to the forward reflector section, the supporting means bein arranged to permit a sliding of the rear re ector section toward or away from the door, in combination with spring means interposed between the supporting means and the rear reflector section for urging the latter forwardly.

5. In a lamp, a forwardly open casing, a reflector comprising two sections disposed behind one another, means associated with the adjacent ends of the two reflector sections for alining the said parts, supporting means carried by the casing for supporting the rear reflector section, and a door mounted on the month end of the casing and secured to the forward reflector section, the two reflector sections operatively abutting against each other and the supporting means being arranged to permit a sliding of the rear reflector section toward or away from the door, in combination with spring means interposed between the supporting means and the rear reflector section for urging the latter forwardly.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, September 23rd, 1925.

cnantns a. GODLEY. 

